Forest Dweller
by dkspimpedout13
Summary: What if Instead of being put into an orphanage as a child, Naruto was instead put inside of the forest of death to survive?
1. Decisions

Hello and welcome to my first attempt at a naruto fan fiction. What would happen if Instead of being put into an orphanage, Naruto was placed inside the forest of death to live? having no friends, no help, and nothing to do but survive, how will naruto cope?

'thoughts'

"Normal talking"

'**Demon thoughts'**

"**Demon Speaking"**

October tenth is a day that will forever be scorched into the heart of Konoha. The Nine-tailed demon fox had been unleashed and left the village in hysteria. The Fourth Hokage was the only one strong enough to put an end to the horror that was being caused. Using the Shiki Fuujin, he sealed the fox into a young newborn named Naruto. With the fox gone and the Fourth Hokage dead, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had reclaimed the title until another can take his place. We now go to the council chambers where Sarutobi is fighting for young Naruto's life.

Fugaku slammed his fists onto the council chambers for what seemed like the fifth time since the meeting started. "Damn it Sarutobi! It must be killed now! It's a threat to all of us! Why can't you see this?"

"Do you propose we kill an innocent child Fugaku? I hear your son Sasuke was born a few months ago. Is he as dangerous as a newly born like Naruto here?

Fugaku looked incredulous." How can you compare my son to that….. thing?"

Sarutobi smirked," Easily. Because your son and Naruto here are no different then any other baby in this village. So to end this ridiculous debate about on whether or not to kill an innocent boy, I say No!.

"Lets put it to vote then."

Sarutobi frowned. Danzo was the exact opposite of what Sarutobi was. He was power hungry, a warmonger, and stuck to the rules of the shinobi as if his life depended on it. If he was interfering then this was bad.

Sarutobi spoke carefully. "What would you propose we vote on Danzo?"

He smirked." I say that we send the boy into the Forest of Death to fend for himself. He will have little contact with the outside world and we will show no pity if something should happen to him."

Sarutobi saw people around him start to nod and agree while others shook their heads." Do you have a soul? To sentence a child to such torture would be inhumane!"

"But we are not talking about a normal child are we? This is the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. If he grows strong in the forest then we can use him as a ninja and bolster our forces. His survival instinct would be honed beyond that of a normal shinobi ."

Sarutobi sighed. 'I'm Sorry Naruto.' "Lets begin then."

"I, Sarutobi Hiruzen vote no."

"I, Uchiha Fugaku vote yes."

"Do I really have to vote? Troublesome, fine. I, Nara Shikaku vote no."

"I, Akimichi Chouza, vote no."

"I, Yamanaka Inoichi, vote no."

"I, Aburame Shibi, vote yes."

"I, Inazuka Tsume, vote no."

"I, Utatane Koharu, vote yes."

"I, Mitokado Homura, Vote yes."

"I, Shimura Danzo, vote yes."

Sarutobi was sweating. It was a five to five vote with Hiashi Hyuuga as the tiebreaker. To say Sarutobi was nervous was like saying that Jiraiya was only slightly a pervert.

"I, Hyuuga Hiashi, Vote ….. for banishment into the Forest of death."

Sarutobi lost all the color in his face. The boy would never survive but his conscience would be clear. 'Damn you Hyuuga'

" I say that we put the boy into the ninja program and make him loyal to Konoha."

Sarutobi hoped this would sate the lust for his death but he was sadly mistaken. Danzo was the first one to speak after the third.

"No. The forest would turn him into a trained killer better then we ever would be able to. Or, if we're lucky, the boy will die. So I say he goes into the forest at five years old. No sooner, no later."

The third started to panic. Nods of agreement were spreading throughout the council and this wasn't going to end well for Naruto.

" On the terms that I can raise Naruto for the first five years of his life, I will allow him to be put in the forest as long as no attempts on his life are made by anyone from Konoha."

Danzou slowly smirked," You've got yourself a deal Sarutobi. I will see to it that you keep your end of the bargain."

With that the meeting was adjourned and Sarutobi stood slowly. He looked at Naruto with a tear going down his left cheek. He leaned down and whispered.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I'm So sorry."

With those words said Sarutobi shunshined away with Naruto in his arms.

And there you go. Let me know what you think. Leave a review and give me some constructive criticism.


	2. Rough start

Welcome to chapter 2 of Forest Dweller. I hope you enjoy it :D.

'thoughts'

"speaking"

'**Demon thoughts'**

"**Demon speaking"**

**XXXXX**

Sarutobi arrived at his home with Naruto in his arms. Sighing, he slowly opened the door to his home hoping that everyone was asleep. He was severely disappointed. His son, Asuma, was waiting for him as he opened the door. There was a tense moment before Asuma pointed at Naruto.

"Is that him?" He had a look of disdain on his face.

Sarutobi frowned at his son and shook his head. "And to think that I thought that my own blood would be able to see past such contempt. Does the Will of Fire not glow brightly in you? In this child it will glow brighter than any other! Do not hate him for what he had no control over. He is but a container, a prison, keeping the fox at bay; and he has been sentenced to a fate that no child deserves.

Sarutobi sighed again, the deepest one yet. "I am tired Asuma. I can't do this anymore. Minato never should have gone to seal the stupid fox. I should have been the one to seal him. It should be Minato that is here to deal with the political shit storm that has just headed my way, not me!"

"He's normal then? Like you or me?"

Sarutobi smiled. "Just like you or me."

Asuma seemed to roll the idea around in his head before he nodded to himself.

"Then I guess we'll protect him like family then?"

"Yes. Speaking of family, where is your mother?"

Asuma frowned and looked away. Sarutobi had a feeling of dread in his stomach.

"They found her after the fox was gone. In a cave…. Dead."

Sarutobi dropped to his knees and openly wept. While he was not one to show emotion, in his own household he was just a human. Asuma went up to his father and gave him a half hug. Sarutobi looked up and saw tears in his son's eyes. Asuma then left and went to his bedroom.

Sarutobi stayed on the floor for what seemed like hours. He finally recovered enough to know that he had to feed Naruto. As if on cue, Naruto opened his eyes and smiled for the first time. He looked up at Sarutobi and reached up and yanked on his beard.

Sarutobi winced. "Ouch! Quite a grip you have there Naruto. I can tell that you will be strong one day. I promise that I will help you however I can."

Naruto cooed and closed his eyes again as the Third walked slowly towards the master bedroom of the house, rocking Naruto to sleep the whole way.

"I've got a long road ahead of me Naruto…. I hope I can do this alone. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise I'll prepare you for whatever they throw at you."

1 year later

It had been quite hectic after the fox attack. Sarutobi had had his hands full with many subjects. On one hand he had to deal with the reconstruction of the village, on the other was that he had to deal with a serious loss of ninja and an increased mission load. So Sarutobi had to keep pace and keep taking the amount of missions that they normally would. And finally, there was Naruto. Sarutobi loved the boy as if he were his own grandson. The boy had grown immensely since his birth. Naruto was a healthy baby boy. Incredibly, He was doing things at an accelerated pace then what was the norm. He had his first steps at three months, was walking about at seven. Just the other day he had said his first words… Much to Sarutobi's chagrin. His first words were," God damned paperwork."

Sarutobi wanted to frown as much as he wanted to laugh. Since there was no one at home to babysit Naruto, he had to stay in the Hokage's office. So, as well as getting all the attention a growing baby needs, he also got to see new people, hear new words, and also learn all of the villages dirty secrets!(Even if he didn't comprehend or understand them.)

Sarutobi finished signing some paperwork when there was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

In came none other than Danzo. Walking slowly to the chair in front of the desk, he maintained eye contact with the Third the entire way. He sat down and relaxed into the chair.

Sarutobi frowned and got straight to the point. "What do you want Danzo? You realize I have four years left correct?"

Danzo smirked. "I understand that. I'm not here to speak of the boy's sentence, but the boy himself."

Sarutobi frowned again."What could you possibly need with him?"

"I want him in my Root program. Imagine what he could do for Konoha if only he were trained properly? Ten times better than the forest would ever be able to do. Safer too. Is that not what you want for him? Safety? I can give that to him. Plus, the training that would turn him into Konoha's greatest asset."

"No. Not a chance. He is a human like us. He will be treated like one. I will train the boy and prepare him for the forest. Then, when I'm done, he will come out of this stronger and a protector of Konoha. Of his own free will! He will not be turned into some suicidal lackey. Now leave my office. I'm done with this conversation."

Danzo's eyebrow twitched which is the closest to showing emotion he has ever come. His eyebrows furrowed and he limped out of the office.

Sarutobi let out a frustrated growl, waking Naruto and making him mimic the gesture.

"Huh. Well that new."

Sarutobi was mulling Naruto's new talent over in his head when a familiar head of white hair burst into his office, via window of course.

"Hey Sensei, what's up?"

"Jiraiya, just get in here and report."

Jiraiya frowned and nodded. "It seems that my spies in Ta no Kuni have reported a new hidden village has been built. It's called Oto. They are not well established yet. But, the way they have been handling missions, I don't think it will be too long until they are on the map."

"Thank you Jiraiya. You're dismissed."

Jiraiya nodded before noticing the ball of blonde lying in the crib. He smiled and turned to Sarutobi. "Who's the blondie?"

Sarutobi started sweating. He had only told a handful of people about Naruto's true heritage. "That is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Jiraiya's smile left his face as soon as Sarutobi mentioned Uzumaki."This is Kushina's son? Minato's son? Why didn't you tell me that the child survived! I would have come back sooner, or done something. I'm his God-Father for Kami's sake! "

Jiraiya looked as if he were about to explode from how much anger he was concealing. Sarutobi simply sighed and told Jiraiya to sit. He did so quickly and suddenly. Proving how annoyed and angry he was.

"Jiraiya, Naruto has been sentenced to be put into the Forest of Death when he turns five, to attempt to turn him into a weapon. I can't stop it. So I've decided to train him as much as I can for it when the time comes. I would like your help when he goes in."

Jiraiya simply sat there, his mouth gaping like a fish's. "What… that's the….. I don't even…." Jiraiya stood and started for the window. The Third moved quicker than a man his age should. He grabbed Jiraiya by his shoulder before he could jump out.

"Jiraiya! Listen to me! The boy is going to need more help than I can give him. I need you on this one. Please. Don't do it for me. Do it for Naruto…. Please. "Sarutobi let his arm slip off his shoulder as Jiraiya perched on the windowsill.

"Not for you. But for Naruto I will. I will find a way to get him things when he is in the forest. I'm going to be gone for a while sensei. I need some time away from here. You'll get written reports on anything that's important every two weeks. Goodbye. "

And with that Jiraiya leapt off the windowsill heading for the village gates. Sarutobi let his head lightly hit the desk. 'This job will be the death of me I swear.' He pulled his head up slowly stood up. Things for him were going south. But he swore to Naruto that he would do everything he could to help him. And Sarutobi wasn't one to go back on promises.

**A.N-** So let me know what you think. A quick review with helpful criticism is always appreciated. Also, Should there be a transition period with Naruto growing for the next four years? Or a time skip to when he is forced into the forest? I think I know what I want to do but let me know if you have an opinion on it.


	3. Diplomacy?

Chapter 3 of Forest Dweller. If you haven't noticed yet, I am trying to increase the amount of content and the quality of my writing. Any tips as to how I can improve would be greatly appreciated. Also, I am looking for someone to beta my story for me. I'm looking for help in grammar, punctuation, and flow of the story. Ideas may also be thrown around. Again, thank you for any help you can offer. On to the story!

A.N- sorry for the delay. I am a senior in high school and have been swamped with essays, working, and video games. So I apologize: P

It had been two long years since Jiraiya and Sarutobi's incident. The fight hurt the man's pride but he knew it had been in the best interest of Naruto and that allowed some peace to enter his heart. Although the times were rough for Sarutobi, the village couldn't be better. Shops that had been destroyed had been repaired and improved upon, residential areas affected were repaired and families moved back into their homes, and clans that had lost many of their kin had mourned and resumed much of their work.

Sarutobi smirked slightly. He thought back at how the village looked before now and could only smile at the prospect of the village not only rebuilding, but improving as well. Only one thing put a damper on Sarutobi's higher than normal spirit. His son Asuma had left the village and had become one of the twelve guardians of fire, a group of shinobi who protected the Daimyo with their lives. An elite group. One that Sarutobi would be proud knowing that Asuma joined, if not for the argument that they had had the days before he left.

Flashback no jutsu!

Sarutobi was pacing in his office with a look of disdain on face. Asuma stood in front of him with a look of defiance in his eyes. After Biwako had died, Asuma had turned into the rebellious teen that stood in front of him now. "No. I forbid you from joining. They are constantly under attack from assassins. I will not have you joining a group that will so easily sacrifice you!"

Asuma's eyebrows furrowed and Sarutobi knew this was going to end badly. "Do you think me a fool? Do you not think I would know the risks going into this? I have done research of my own and being a part of the guardians is probably the highest honor a ninja of Hi no kuni could achieve! I am not you father! I am not going to sit idly by doing simple missions that have no effect on the world! I want to make a difference, and this is the perfect way to do it!"

Asuma turned to go and Sarutobi snapped. "You impudent boy! Do you think nothing of my council? Do you think I would tell you not to do something if it wasn't the best option for you? If you go and join the Guardians you will make a difference. But the things that you do there will put you on the map and put a bounty on your head that someone will eventually cash in on! Is that what you want? To be famous throughout the world as some amazing ninja? Will that set you above the rest of the ninja in the village? Huh? Answer me!" At this point Sarutobi's face was so red with anger that he had to sit down, lest he do something he would regret.

Asuma's mouth gaped like a fish's. With no words to say he turned and reached for the handle of the door.

Sarutobi felt like crying at that moment. First he lost Biwako, now Asuma. He sighed and lowered his head as he spoke." If you leave I will label you as a missing nin, with a twenty-five million ryo reward for your capture and return. Think long before you leave son. "

Asuma seemed to think before leaving with a frown.

Sarutobi frowned. He never did make him a missing nin. He even fought tooth and nail against the council to forbid it from happening. They relented after two months but still used it against him whenever he tried to bring in a new policy.

As Sarutobi sat down to start on the detestable paperwork he sensed something coming from the corner of his office. Smirking, he let fly two kunai that took a shirt by the shoulders and stuck it to the wall.

"Not fair jiji! You cheated! I was totally invisible."

Sarutobi smiled. "Not invisible Naruto, just blending in with your surroundings, like a chameleon. I noticed a shimmer in the illusion. Also, your chakra is like a maelstrom. I sensed you as soon as I stopped focusing on myself. "Sarutobi sat and started on the paperwork that he hated so.

Naruto seemed to be thinking of something to say. "Jiji, why am I leaving when I'm five?"

Sarutobi detested the conversation he was about to have but the boy had to know the exact reasons as to why. "Naruto, do you remember the books I had you read a month or two ago?"

"About the Biju? Or about the Kyuubi attack?"

"Both. Naruto, this will be difficult to learn but, you are the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. When it was sealed into you the council feared you and they determined that the best way to get rid of you was to send you into the forest of death when you turn five. I'm sorry." Sarutobi bowed his head to Naruto while he expected the boy to retaliate against him.

Naruto looked shocked but recovered quickly. "Its okay Jiji. I don't care. I'll be fine and prove to them that I'm not the Kyuubi! I am Uzumaki Naruto! Dattebayo! "

Sarutobi smiled and nodded."You will do more than that. Now, have you started on the jutsu I have given you? Mastered them? Altered them to fit you?"

Naruto smiled and nodded, bouncing slightly as he did so. "I learned** Earth style: Earth molding technique, Fire style: Fire starter technique, **and **Water style: Water purification technique**. I also started on **Lightning style: Electric field technique** and **Wind style: Air pressure technique**.

"Good. Good. Have you been reading all the books that you can? You need to have as much theory as you can. Once you're in the forest I won't be able to easily get to you. So you are going to have to master these things as you grow. Do you understand me?"

Naruto nodded and started to make hand seals. He sat on the couch he was on before and got lost trying to improve his speed with them. Sarutobi smirked. 'And to think, not three years ago he was but a new born. Simply amazing.'

Somewhere in Kaminari no Kuni

"The mountains are forever shrouded in the clouds."

"Enter."

A tall lanky man walked into a secret entrance into the side of a hill. This was a Kumogakure outpost near Hi no Kuni. The man walking in was a jounin of Kumo. He wore simple clothes. Brown pants, black muscle t-shirt, and the Kumo headband on his head. He also wore a wakizashi at his waist.

"Genkou, you're later than the Raikage told us you would be. We should have left days ago. The leaf is expecting us you know."

Genkou bowed low and muttered an apology. "Fear not. I am here now aren't I? We can leave as soon as you wish."

The man laughed. "Do you know what time it is? The diplomats are asleep. We aren't leaving until morning. But Genkou, are you ready for what must be done?"

Genkou stood up straight and looked him in the eyes."I will complete my mission or die trying."

The man seemed appeased."Good….Good… Get some rest. Tomorrow at dawn we head out for Konoha. And we will finally get the Byakugan." He smiled as he said this and turned to go to his room."

Genkou called out to him," Eita, I have been debriefed but, I still don't know who I am taking. Can you fill me in so I can prepare?"

"The heir. Hyuuga Hinata. You are to go in, get her, and get out as soon as you can Understood?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Eita nodded and went to his bunk. Genkou turned and went towards the spare bunks in the south end of the base. He was ready. He would fulfill his mission or die trying.

Something bad was going to happen soon. Sarutobi could feel it in his aging bones. Something about the Kumo diplomats rubbed Sarutobi the wrong way. He could not bar them passage as they wished to talk about peace, something Sarutobi had wanted his entire life. So he turned his head the other way slightly when he noticed the ninja attending staring at all of the hyuugas as they walked by.

Sarutobi walked forward and bowed to each diplomat as they did the same for him. The leader he presumed was a short fat excuse of a man. He wore fine robes and a hat to match it. He had oily skin and long black hair. He had beady eyes that were conniving.

"Greetings Lord Hokage. My name is Hirishi. I am part of the diplomatic envoy sent to negotiate with you. I hope that things shall go smoothly for both parties." The man bowed low again and smiled.

Sarutobi was wary of this man. "As do is Hirishi. Let us head to the tower and we shall start." Sarutobi turned and headed for the tower signaling to his Anbu to follow the ninja that were splitting from the diplomats. Sarutobi knew something was wrong and he was going to find out what.

All was quiet in the village. The meeting had gone well and the treaty was to be drawn up tomorrow morning, sending off the diplomats sometime in the afternoon. But not everyone was asleep as they should be. A shadow was moving around the village, attempting to not get caught. Moving towards the Hyuuga clan district, the shadow only stopped two times to avoid Anbu patrol.

"Too easy."

Sliding over the wall with surprising fluidity, the man landed without making a sound and moved towards the main building. The Hyuuga were a secretive clan, even amongst themselves. Their walls were layered with seals to stop the Byakugan from being used on one another. A perfect cover for a thief

Avoiding the manned patrols was not easy but nothing Genkou couldn't handle. He was a pro. A master. He was the best infiltrator the cloud had and there was no way that he was going to get caught. Moving the halls with practiced steps, he avoided every creak in the floor boards, all patrols and made it to the target's room. Sliding the door quickly and quietly, he moved in and slapped a suppression seal on the poor girl.

Scooping her into a sack, Genkou moved out into the hallway and made a hasty, but quiet escape into the main courtyard. Peering over his shoulder and jumping over the wall the man could do nothing as he tripped over a small blonde boy practicing hand seals.

"OW! Jeez mister watch where you're going! "

"You little bastard…" Genkou got up and was ready to strangle the boy when all of a sudden to pairs of arms grabbed his. He looked over and saw a pissed look Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuuga.

"Where is she!"

Genkou let the sack fall to the ground and he heard a small squeak of surprise. He frowned and knew that he had royally fucked up.

"Well, looks like its time for Torture and Interrogation to get a new play toy don't you think brother?"

Hiashi simply nodded as he picked up Hinata and walked into the Compound. Hizashi looked over at Naruto and nodded. "Good job kid. You helped us catch a thief. Here." Hizashi tossed a small bag over to Naruto who deftly caught it.

"Thanks mister." Naruto smiled to him and continued walking towards the Sarutobi compound. Inside the sack was a book on summoning. Naruto shrugged. He wasn't going to debate why a grown man was going to give away a book of such value. So using his new Chameleon jutsu, Naruto continued on with what he was doing and hoped that the new book would prove useful to him.

A.N-Hey! Like always leave a review and let me know what you like, what you don't like, how I can improve, and what you would like to see.


	4. Prelude to the Forest

Welcome all to the much delayed fourth chapter of Forest Dweller! I sincerely apologize for how long it took me to update. I graduated high school and went directly into a full time job. It has taken me a while to adjust to working life and now that I have I am ready to begin writing again! :D Without further a do, Onto the Chapter!

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

'**Demon Thoughts'**

"**Demon speaking"**

**Xxxxx**

So much could change in five years. Time is not really as slow as everyone makes it out to be. For one Sarutobi Hiruzen, he could not wish for the slowing of time anymore than he already had. Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow was October tenth; the festival of the Kyuubi's defeat was tomorrow. Naruto was also going to be banished into the Forest of Death. Sarutobi sighed and packed the tobacco into his pipe and began to smoke, a habit that he had been practicing more and more as this day drew closer.

Naruto honestly couldn't have come out any better if he had planned it ten years in advance. The boy was truly a walking ninja encyclopedia. He knew _everything._ He had been forced to read and memorize the entire Sarutobi library. The God amongst Shinobi had given all of his knowledge to a five year old boy. And the boy _understood it_. Sarutobi expected him to remember it but not to be able to actually apply any of the things he was teaching him. He was only five! Naruto was probably his best student. He had the knowledge of a Kage, the chakra reserves of a chunin, the stamina of a god, and a heart of gold. And they were sending him into the forest. Alone. Sarutobi couldn't help but feel helpless. Reaching down into his desk he took out a stamp with his seal on it and began going through the horror that was paperwork.

Going through the higher ranked missions first, the Hokage decided to get rid of some high security risk personnel. Sarutobi was not a malicious man but when the Daimyo wanted someone dead for treason, and paid quite highly, you did what you had to. That went to one Hatake Kakashi. He was the Anbu Commander and one of Sarutobi's confidants.

Moving swiftly through the A and B rank missions, Sarutobi quickly slowed his pace as he had to start assigning missions to newly mad Genin teams. As he went through the missions he absently touched the scar that ran down his face. It reached from the top of the right side of his forehead and went all the way down to his jaw. He had gained that beauty when he fought against the Raikage in the Konoha-Kumo Skirmish.

When the Cloud shinobi tried to take the Hyuuga heir, they were swiftly detained and killed for diplomacy under false intentions. It was basically a law passed by the Nidaime to prevent a country from doing illegal things while performing "diplomacy". After Sarutobi had them killed the Raikage had demanded that he send him the head of the head of the Hyuuga clan; Hyuuga Hiashi. While Sarutobi would have loved to give the man what he wanted, he would not allow a transaction against one of his shinobi go unpunished. He sent the Raikage the heads of the so called "diplomats". The Raikage responded by launching a contingent into Hi no Kuni through their secret hillside base on the border.

Sarutobi would never forget that day. He launched an entire army of ninja with him leading them. A squad of ninja was four people. A group was four squads, so sixteen people. A battalion was four groups, so sixty four people. And finally, an Army was two hundred and fifty six ninja. Four Battalions under Sarutobi's Banner were marched all the way to Kumo's gates. When the ninja army arrived the Raikage was waiting for them with two armies flanking him on either side. Sarutobi tried once more for diplomacy and would give fair terms, but the Raikage's pride was injured in the week or so this skirmish had been going on. He told the Hokage that when the old man fought him on equal terms they would talk. That's when Sarutobi surprised everyone by taking off his ceremony robes and was geared up in full battle attire. What a battle that was…

Flashback no jutsu!

Sarutobi sighed as he gave the signal to halt the army. He looked at the armies by the Raikage and honestly wasn't worried. While they had quantity, Konoha had quality. For every one Konoha shinobi lost, Kumo would lose four or more. But Sarutobi didn't want more bloodshed. He braced himself and turned to his commander.

"Kakashi. Tell the Generals to form the armies up with ninjutsu users in the front, then Genjutsu users, finally taijutsu users ready to hop in when the nin and gen users are done. Have any seals ready before the battle starts and have the kenjutsu users mixed in with the rest."

"It will be done Hokage-Sama."

Kakashi sent three clones out while he went to handle the other battalion himself. Sarutobi turned from the armies and could feel the Raikage's Stare a thousand meters away. He motioned for the army to take a ready position and then he addressed the Raikage.

"Raikage-Dono! I come to your gates not for war, but for peace! You can stop the war that is about to happen if you just swallow your pride! Allow me into Kumo and we can negotiate!" Sarutobi swallowed hard and awaited a response.

The armies on both sides were nervously preparing for what they thought was going happen. Finally, the Raikage leapt from the walls and landed five hundred meters away from Sarutobi.

"Fool! You bring war to my gates and expect me to tuck my tail between my legs and admit that you are the better?! Never! It will be a cold day in hell before I "negotiate". I will negotiate when you can match me blow for blow on the battlefield. Until then, let our shinobi do the talking.

As if some weird Kami had taken control of him, Sarutobi reached to grasp the robes that he rarely took off, and flung them aside. Sarutobi was geared up in full battle attire and yelled to the Raikage.

"Then face me in battle boy! Do not presume that I gained the nickname, God amongst shinobi, for no reason! When I match you blow for blow and knock you on your ass, will you negotiate then?!"

The look the Raikage gave him, ah, that will stick with him until the day he died. Pure shock graced his face, then amazement, anger, confusion and finally ending on giddiness.

"I guess we will see who will be negotiating when this is over, wont we Hokage-Dono?"

And with that they both took off with shunshins. The amount of speed they were traveling at was insane! They were simply using taijutsu to get a feel for each other. Quickly separating from each other they both started throwing high level jutsu around. Sarutobi, using his impressive intellect, tried to use odd combinations of jutsu to throw the Raikage off balance and catch him off guard. The Raikage on the other hand, Simply used overwhelming Raiton jutsu to try and shock the Hokage to death. After they had fought for nearly twenty minutes, They separated from each other panting heavily.

The Raikage looked worse for wear and had a long gash going across his chest where Sarutobi's kunai had cut him. "Damn it old man…. You're better than I thought you were going to be."

The Hokage was breathing rather raggedly and was hunched over. "Does that mean you are willing to negotiate?" The Hokage hoped he would just give in.

The Raikage smirked. "Not likely. I still have one jutsu I haven't tried out yet." Putting his hand towards the ground he held three fingers out and started to pump Raiton chakra through his fingers.

Sarutobi grimaced. He knew what jutsu that was. It was his father's creation and was rumored to have died with him. Clearly that Intel was wrong. Shrugging off his weariness, Sarutobi grasped the kunai in his hand and rapidly used the Shunshin no jutsu.

He and the Raikage met in a brilliant display of high level fighting. When the smoke cleared the armies were surprised to see that the fight had ended in…a draw. The Raikage held his hand inches from Sarutobi's stomach. Sarutobi on the other hand, had the Raikage by his hair and a Kunai on his throat. Both armies looked on in shock and awe.

The Raikage's eyes were wide. He swallowed and his throat touched the kunai. As it did he tore away from the Hokage and slashed up with his fingers. Sarutobi slashed at the man's throat and was glad to hear a grunt of pain. That's also the point where all he saw in his right eye was red. Reaching up, he saw that his hand was covered in blood. Sarutobi was the only man who could fall with dignity. Kakashi caught him before he hit the ground. A medic ninja was there and attempted to heal the wound, but for some reason it wouldn't knit!

"The chakra prevents healing. That's going to be a nice battle scar. You win old man. I will give you what you want. You have my respect. Now get out of my country.

Flashback no jutsu Kai!

Sarutobi smirked. He had gotten fourteen new lightning jutsu, knowledge of their two Jinchuriki, how their Anbu system worked, and some structural information. Sarutobi was oddly surprised to see an alliance proposal on his desk almost two weeks later. The letter was an odd one as well.

Dear Hokage-Dono,

I appreciate strength above all else. I would like to form an alliance with you as this would increase both our nations' strength. I hope to spar with you again sometime.

Sincerely,

The Raikage, A

Not saying that the fight wasn't fun but it was life or death for him. Not just a spar. As such he really realized that he wouldn't live forever and should probably write a will. In his will he left most of his valuables to his son, Asuma. He went on to divvy up all his precious belongings to the clans of Konoha. Then he remembered that every Hokage gets to create an unalterable law in his will. Only the Shodaime had gotten around to writing a will and his law was that the Uchiha would forever have the land that they own now, and that they would be the only ones to run the Military Police. That hadn't changed. But as he thought about it he realized a way to save Naruto!

The law went like this; in the event of my inevitable death, one, Uzumaki Naruto is to be released from the forest of death and put into the ninja ranks in a team of Genin. This law is also to be put into effect if I am incapacitated in the hospital, have gone missing, or decide to become a missing ninja. As such, Naruto is to be given a house on the outskirts of Konoha and an allowance of twenty thousand ryo a month for six months.

Satisfied with his cleverness he stood up and looked out the window down at Konoha. He smiled to himself as he did. 'This isn't over yet. Not by a long shot.'

**XXXXX October Tenth XXXXX**

Naruto was nervous. No, nervous wasn't the right word. Shitting his pants! That's the right expression. He was just summoned from the Sarutobi mansion to go to the Forest of Death. He was already near training ground thirty eight. He had less than ten minutes until he was forced to live in the damn forest for the rest of his life. It wasn't fair. He didn't _choose_ to have the Kyuubi sealed in him. So, just because the prejudice of six people he had to live the rest of his life in an evil forest. Joy.

Naruto arrived at the gates and was greeted by the same eleven people who were there when the sentence was made. He looked and saw that there was a split in the group. Five were standing on the left and six on the right, the supporters and the condemners. So they came to watch his march to hell. He would give them no satisfaction in seeing him scared. Steeling his nerves, he marched right up to the group and stood there waiting for judgment. He looked Danzo in his eye and saw that he was going to be the first one to speak.

Moving away from the other five people, Danzo took a position close enough to Naruto to be intimidating. "Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby condemned to live in the forest of death until the day of your death." He motioned his head at the gates behind him."This is not to be your home. If someone could grab the boy be will go to where he will be inserted into the forest."

Sarutobi was confused but wanted to see what Danzo was planning. Grabbing Naruto he set off after Danzo and prayed this wasn't one of the man's twisted plots.

**XXXXX**

They arrived at the location a few hours later. What most people don't know is that the Forest of Death was not where the Chunin exams where held. No, that was just a nick name most people gave it because of its close proximity to the actual forest. The Forest of death was located behind training ground forty-four and was much, much larger. The fence stretched straight across going for well over five kilometers in each direction. Nobody had ever tried to map out the forest so no one knew how far back it actually went.

Sarutobi paled when he saw it. He had assumed that Danzo had meant the training ground! He had not prepared Naruto for the actual forest. Looking over he saw Danzo with a smug look on his face

Sarutobi was livid. 'You old bastard! You think you've won don't you? Wait until you read my will…' Smirking himself he knelt down and looked Naruto in the eye."Naruto this is it. You have to go into the forest now. Don't forget any of the lessons I have taught you. Be brave and in the end you will get out of this forest a much stronger individual. Promise me you will not give into its hate."

Naruto for all his credit did not shed a single tear and gave a nod. He then turned to the people standing behind him. "To the ones who did not decide to put me into the forest, thank you. To those who did, well, I hope I never get out of this forest or I may do something about it." Smiling, he turned from the people standing behind him and walked stoically into the Forest if death.

**XXXXX**

**And that's Chapter 4! Again, I sincerely apologize for the obnoxious wait for this chapter. I will gladly take any (constructive) Criticism that you all have for me. I hope to update at least once a month if not more. Also, anyone that would like to give me a jutsu list(with Japanese and English names) it would be greatly appreciated as creating your own can be quite the pain in the ass. **


	5. Centipedes, Tigers, and Spiders

Welcome one and all to the fifth chapter of Forest Dweller! I apologize for the wait but I have a legitimate excuse. I recently got a new computer and was transferring files when the files for Forest Dweller became corrupt. I don't know how and I don't know why but all of the data was lost along with the majority of chapter five. I simply lost the desire to write the chapter again and just now am getting that back! Now on to the reviews!

Tanis19- Thank you! I will continue to write as long as you give such nice comments! :D

Jivablab- I'm now considering you my first critic. You always have the negative side of things but that's totally okay; I asked for constructive criticism and I'm glad I'm getting it. I don't make much sense sometimes because what comes out sounds better in my head than when you read it on your screen. To answer your review of chapter 4 though, Sarutobi left most of his valuables to his son, because he is his son. Even if he got into the fight with him he still wants the best for Asuma and if he died before Asuma came back he would want him to come back to something.

Datu824- obviously I'm not very good at the action scenes. I'm trying my best to make them better but it's a first and I need to figure out how to do them in a way that is easy to read and accurately describes what is being pictured in my mind.

And now onto the fifth chapter of Forest Dweller: Centipedes, tigers, and spiders

**XXXXX**

Naruto walked ahead as the small fence gate shut behind him. In front of him was an alien world. Having only gone as far as the gates of Konoha, Naruto had never seen the actual forests surrounding it up close. He looked around as he walked forwards, basking in the light as it shimmered across the floor. He pushed chakra to his ears and listened for anything that would hint at an attack. To his immediate discomfort, he couldn't hear a thing.

Forcing down the discomfort and unease that was rising in his gut, Naruto steeled himself and sped up, looking for the nearest clearing that he could use as a camp. As he ran, his mind began to wander to all sorts of things; His training, being the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and his banishment to the Forest of death. All of these things were thrust upon him at such a young age; he didn't really know where his life would go from here.

Naruto sighed and mentally started going the supplies he had with him. He had a ninja pouch going across his lower back with four compartments that each held a scroll. The first one was a food scroll; it held enough food for upwards of two weeks. The second one held a sewing kit, thread, clothes, and special chakra threads used for including seals in clothing. The third one held weapons. That scroll held four hundred kunai and shuriken, a ninjato, a bo staff, a chakra absorbing whetstone, a katana, and one hundred senbon. The last scroll was camping gear that he may or may not need. A field tent that could withstand the elements, several sleeping bags with warming seals on them, rope, a first aid kit, a soft tarp that could be place on the ground to keep from getting wet, and glow sticks. All in all, he was prepared for just about anything, which was exactly what Sarutobi wanted.

Naruto nodded to himself as he pulled out of the trees and landed near a stream going through the forest. Smiling at his fortune, he quickly checked the water for any kind of bacteria and started to drink eagerly. After filling his canteens however, Naruto felt a presence in the clearing and was immediately on guard. He held his breath as he looked for the source of the Killer Intent. He looked left, right, behind, up, slowly his options were dwindling and he knew his first mistake. He never checked the ground. Jumping away at the last second, Naruto narrowly avoided the Centipede's jaws as it came out of the ground locking on to what would have been Naruto if he hadn't moved. Turning around Naruto was horrified by what he saw.

The Centipede raised itself up and was easily forty feet into the air. If Naruto had to guess, the thing must have been one hundred feet long or more! Its body wasn't just long but wide as well. Being eight feet wide, it was the most imposing thing Naruto had ever seen. Its antennae stretched out from its head another four feet in each direction and its jaws were clacking together loudly, making the air vibrate with the sound. Its pitch black carapace was perfect for hunting at night and with a body like that; Naruto didn't doubt that it could kill him in a heartbeat.

Naruto eyed down the Centipede with fear, slowly backing away thinking of a way to escape. The Centipede, seeing that its prey was about to escape, gave a guttural clicking sound and charged Naruto, bouncing off the ground in its haste to catch him. Naruto's eyes bulged out of his face as he pumped chakra to his legs and jumped backwards towards a tree. Landing on the bark, he pushed off expelling a large amount of chakra in the process. What that did was shoot him over the centipede at an accelerated pace and put him above the Centipede.

Going through the hand seals as fast as he could, Naruto gathered chakra into his lungs and pulled his fingers up to his lips. **"Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu!" (Great fireball)**The Fireball he launched headed towards the Centipede too quickly for it to realize what was going on. It hit the Centipede and quickly spread back out towards Naruto. As Naruto attempted to redirect his course mid-air, the Centipede rushed through the flame and smacked Naruto aside with one of its antennae.

Naruto flew through the air and hit a tree hearing a crack as the wood gave way to his form. 'Owwwww….' Naruto slowly pulled himself up and looked at his situation. This bug's carapace was clearly hard enough to resist a full powered fire technique. Whatever he did, Naruto knew he was in trouble. Taking out a few kunai, Naruto got an idea to test the bug's true capabilities. Throwing the Kunai at its mandibles, Naruto rushed through the hand seals and let fly a **Fuuton: ****Reppuushou no Jutsu! (Violent Wind Palm)**

The kunai were accelerated into the Centipede's mandible and he heard an audible crack as a spider web crack appeared on its left mandible. The centipede reared back and let out another cry. Naruto, realizing that he had an opportunity to escape, made several bunshin as he ran in the opposite direction. The centipede's clicking could be heard by Naruto ten minutes after he had escaped.

Naruto looked up and noticed that the sun was way past its zenith. He guessed he had a few hours before dusk. Upping his pace Naruto continued on what he thought was North West. Moving at a decent speed, Naruto kept to the branches and was constantly looking below him for anything that might be a threat. Naruto decided the best way to find a decent shelter would be to follow the stream. To his surprise, that stream turned into a small river. Ten minutes of running and he found out why. The river fed into a small lake. To Naruto's delight, there was also a small island in the middle of the lake. Running to the lake, Naruto sat down and focused. This was the first time he was going to try this jutsu and he was unsure of how he would do. Making the hand seals, Naruto shouted out,"** Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow clone)** He felt a drain on his body but was ecstatic when he saw a perfect clone sitting next to him!

"Yatta! I did it!" Naruto smiled and told his clone to scout out the island. That was the first Jutsu that Naruto did on his own without the help of Sarutobi. He was very happy and at the thought of the old man, very sad. He missed him already. Moving on to setting up his sleeping bag, Naruto set it up by a tree towards the middle of the island. Taking a deep breath, Naruto focused his chakra into his hands and placed them on the ground.

**"Chikyū seikei!" (Earth molding)** as he used the technique, the earth rose and formed a protective semicircle over the sleeping bag that Naruto was going to use. Chikyū seikei was a technique taught to Naruto by the Sandaime. It was a simple technique that allowed Naruto to stretch his chakra into the earth and mold it to what he wants to create. It was a chakra intensive jutsu but also relatively simple. Naruto climbed into his man made shelter just as the clone came back.

"What did you see?" Naruto fidgeted as he tried to stretch in vain as his feet were hitting the tree.

"Nothing boss I think we are safe! Although I did see something on the shores…." The clone seemed disturbed by his discovery.

Naruto's eyes bulged a little bit at that news." What did you see?"

The clone looked over and sighed. "It looked like a big cat. Probably one of those giant tigers that we read about in that book."

"Okay well, uh, how do I get rid of you?" Naruto rubbed his head as he didn't know what to do.

"That's easy boss! Just put your hands like this and say Kai!"

As the clone did it it released itself from disrupting its own chakra. Naruto also was hit with images that were not his own. He saw the tiger that his clone was talking about. And it was huge! 'How did that….. Oh well I guess I'll just handle it in the morning.'

As Naruto drifted off to sleep in his protective shell, a black tiger paced along the shoreline. It would taste the amount of chakra that was on that island. All he had to do was wait. The pray would come to him in due time. It turned around and walked back into the forest.

**XXXXX**

Waking up slowly, Naruto realized one thing. He had survived a day in the forest! Not very exciting when you have to live in it forever, but hey, he would take the small victories for now. He crawled out of his shelter and felt pretty good for having slept on the ground. He formed the seals and made a Kage bunshin. He told him to start a fire for cooking while handled natures call. As Naruto approached the water he looked out where he saw the tiger yesterday and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw nothing there. He finished his call and turned back to the camp.

As he approached the camp, Naruto took out his food scroll and unsealed two fresh eggs. He then unsealed a small frying pan and went to work cooking up his breakfast. He told his clone to start heading south east. He liked this area but he needed to scout out any other possible living locations. Finishing breakfast, Naruto sealed up the pan and sleeping bag and started across the water. Looking around, Naruto was surprised by how beautiful this place really was. If he didn't know that he was going to be in constant danger, this would almost seem like a good place to stay. Hitting dry land, Naruto hopped up onto the trees and started heading south east.

Following his clones path, Naruto was surprised when his clone was destroyed. Images once again assaulted him and Naruto knew two things. One, he definitely got the memories of his clones when they dispelled. Two, something was waiting for him down the path he was taking. Although he knew he should obviously take a different route, he was curious and wanted to know what was waiting for him. He steeled his nerves and continued.

**XXXXX**

The sun was sinking in the sky by the time Naruto caught up to where his clone had died. Pulling out a kunai, Naruto simply felt the presence that was there. It was ominous. He was being hunted. He immediately knew he made a mistake by coming here. Damn his curiosity. Sarutobi had said curiosity was a good thing. Naruto doubted that he had meant that with a dangerous situation in mind.

Rotating, Naruto tried to pinpoint the Killer Intent that was coming his way. He didn't have to look long as a Black tiger the size of a horse came waltzing into the little clearing. The tiger was massive! The things paws must have been the size of his head! It had a path of pink running across its left eye. Naruto realized that it was a scar. The tiger moved towards Naruto and licked its lips. It lunged and Naruto rolled away from it. Throwing the kunai in his hand, Naruto was dismayed when the kunai simply bounced off of his fur.

"Gah! Seriously?! Why can't anything in this forest just die when I try to kill it!" Naruto got mad and started forming chakra for an attack when all of a sudden the tiger simply laid down. Then Naruto heard a low rumbling. It was consistent and broken by a second or two interval….. Was that tiger laughing at him?!

The tiger simply looked at the offended Naruto and smiled. He bowed his head slightly and began to speak. "I think you may be lost little ninja. Konoha is back the way you came. I do not take kindly to intruders so explain yourself."

Naruto was simply shocked to say the least. A talking giant tiger that wanted to kill him. Great, his day couldn't get any worse! "It's not my fault I'm here! I was banished to this forest yesterday and I have to live here!" Naruto pulled out another kunai and tried to think of a way to get out of there.

The tiger's smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown. "You don't just waltz in to a tiger's domain kid. These woods here are mine. Even the Centipedes adhere to the borders. So, as a little tip, avoid the north east. That's the spider's domain. West you'll find the centipedes. North West is the way you should go. But, sadly I can't let you just leave here unscathed. You have insulted me by coming here and for that you must pay." The tiger rose and launched itself at Naruto again. Catching Naruto off guard, the tiger raked its claws diagonally down the left side of his face leaving four gashes going no further than his nose.

Naruto let out a cry of anguish and started to panic. He flailed his kunai as fast as he could but hit nothing but air. He was swiftly disarmed by being slammed into by the tiger and flung several feet. Crying, Naruto got up and tried to make hand seals, but was stopped when he was pinned to the ground by the tiger's claws.

The tiger roared in Naruto's face. "Impudent whelp! These are Kahn's woods! Now leave! You have no reason to be here. If I ever catch you here again, I will not spare you little ninja. Oh, and a little souvenir from our encounter will be those gashes. I can use chakra and those will scar no matter what you do. Now leave."

Naruto scrambled and ran off as fast as he could, blind on his left side due to all the blood. As Naruto ran, Kahn could do nothing but shake his head. "I tell him specifically to avoid north East and what does he do? Oh well. Akuryō tsuna is going to have fun with that one.

**XXXXX**

Naruto was in trouble. He knew this for a couple of reasons. One, he was being followed by something. Two, there were spider webs in the trees around him which hinted as to what was following him. And three, his wounds would not stop bleeding and he had lost a lot of blood.

Jumping from branch to branch as quickly as he could, Naruto came up with a brilliant idea. If he threw some kunai behind him he could go to the right and try to find a way out of the forest. Smiling, he jumped, turned, and was amazed at the size of the spider following him. That simple distraction was all it needed to plow into Naruto and knock him to the floor where he hit a web on the ground.

Naruto began to panic. Dying to spiders was not how he planned on dying. Making the seals, Naruto unleashed a **Goukakyou no Jutsu** and burned up the web going towards the spider. The spider was to slow to dodge and was set on fire and began to frantically beat itself. Naruto couldn't help but laugh. He finally found something that could die.

Turning around Naruto couldn't dodge as a stinger was stabbed into his gut. He let out a muffled grunt as he felt the paralytic poison seep into his body. The spider grabbed Naruto and the last thing he remembered before total blackness was the feeling of being wrapped up.

**XXXXX**

Pain. That was becoming a staple in his life he noticed. He tried to open his eyes but he felt something covering them. He started to panic but managed to open his eyes through a forced effort. The sight that met him was one that would stick with him forever. He was at the top of a tree. There was a funnel web that stretched from the top of the tree where he was all the way down to the forest floor. The web then branched off and covered the forest in a gloomy darkness that was terrifying. Naruto realized the trouble he was in and began to thrash against the bindings that held him. As he did, he couldn't help but notice how the web came to life.

He noticed hundreds upon hundreds of spiders he size of people. Then there were ones the size of houses. But the kicker was the spider climbing the web towards Naruto. It was, Enormous. It was all black with tints of a dark red on its legs and fangs. The most terrifying thing of all was not how big it was but its face. Instead of eight beady eyes, there was a torso upper body coming up from the head. A woman was coming out of the spider. She was beautiful; she was astounding in every way. She was smiling and that just made Naruto try harder.

"**Do not fight young one. There is no escape. The only hope you have is to embrace your destiny. And that destiny is to feed my young"** The spider reached Naruto and the woman shifter herself down to touch Naruto's face. Almost as a mother would their child. Naruto tried to bite her hand but the woman simply smacked him. **"So be it. I was going to make it quick but it is obvious that you do not wish to follow this destiny. Perish like the pathetic fool you are!"** With that, the spider lifted its fangs up and plunged one into each of Naruto's pectoral muscles.

Naruto gave a silent scream before his head nodded to the side. He started to drift until he hit something wet. Opening his eyes, he was no longer in the spider web but in a sewer. He turned around and saw a giant cage. Curious he walked towards it and put his hand on a bar. As he did, A giant fox smashed its head into the cage and scarred Naruto.

"**Grah! So the captor had deigned it necessary to visit his prisoner? I should eat you alive boy!"**

Naruto steeled himself and stood up. Examining the fox, he was amazed by it. "So you're the Kyuubi huh? I've always wanted to meet you, you know!"

The fox seemed to take that into effect and laid down. Placing his head on its paws. **"You realize you're dying right? That spider was no joke. That was Akuryō tsuna. She is going to kill you, but if you die I die. And I'm not ready to die just yet. Now, prepare yourself. I'm going to let you use my chakra and I want you to get out of the spiders lair." **With that, Kyuubi sent a shockwave of power at Naruto who was blasted out of his mindscape.

Akuryō tsuna as she went down to see the boy's demise up close. As she got close however, she was blown away by an explosion of red chakra! Naruto stood on the web, looked around and saw Akuryō tsuna lying on her back on the forest floor. 'This chakra is amazing. I need to get out of here before it wears off!' Jumping from the top of the tree to the tops of other trees, Naruto used the chakra to launch himself away from the spider's lair.

As Naruto ran, Akuryō tsunarose off the ground and swore. Sending her babies out she thought of something to yell at the ninja. **"You can't run forever boy! My babies will find you! And when they do, I will be sure to end your miserable life!"**

**XXXXX**

Naruto kept moving well into his third day in the forest. He moved until Kyuubi's chakra ran out and he almost collapsed where he fell. He had enough sense to make himself a shelter before collapsing to the ground. The last thing that Naruto heard before passing out was Kyuubi's voice.

**"We have lots of work to do boy."**

**XXXXX**

And that's it! Tell me what you think! I tried really hard on this so make sure to leave a review for me! Until next time, Ja ne!


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